Right My rat Gave birth unfortunately in her igloo on the top level. I was really worried about the young falling down cause they kept getting pulled out when she would leave to get food.
So anyways i decided to move them to the bottem to they would be safe but now she refusing to go to them but acting like they dont even exist. Im abit worried.
Shall i put the nest back up the top.
:/If so how can i make it safe for when the young come out.
Note my cage is wired and i know all the dangers of them falling and getting stuck but i had no other option cause my rat didnt like the tank she had and was hurting herself and i also tryed a plastic box but she didnt like that neither.
Thanks and please if you help:)
To the people that think touching the babies causes the mom to abandon them THAT IS NOT TRUE. That's about as true as touching baby wild birds (birds have next to NO SENSE OF SMELL!) . I breed dumbos and I always interact with the babies from Day 2 on to get them friendly (I leave the mom alone on day 1 for privacy and getting to know her litter). ITS DOES NOT AFFECT THE MOM! Anyways im thinking that maybe your rat just doesn't have mothering instincts or maybe is ill. If I were you I would invest in a single story plastic bottom white wire cage from a PetSmart and take away the igloo. I DO NOT recommend them in birthing units becuz of reasons like that. Anyways put the babies back inside the igloo until you have a suitable cage and bedding and check to see if they have milk bands (yellow spot on their belly where milk should be). If not I would look for a lactating doe ASAP and until then buy the smallest syringe you can find and some soy milk and just put a drop in their mouth every other time they open their mouth till your satisfied that they are full. Also google instructions on feeding rittens. Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions e-mail me @ blazingflame10@yahoo.com or contact my friend Tracie. She owns 13 Moons Rattery, just Google her rattery.
I would move the babies back to the top. If there is a danger of them being on the edge, put a piece of cardboard on the edge, so it's like a wall. Duct tape it there so it won't move.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Hope this helps!!
You shouldn't of touched her babies. End of.
She can smell you on them and now doesn't recognise them as her own ...
Sorry ...
How could you be so stupid? Of course she won't want them not that you've had your hands on them, now they will most likely die.
Rats abandon their babies for many reasons . She may not be lactating enough. She may be stressed. Who knows? What matters, though, is you may be forced to hand raise them if she does not take over soon. Sometimes younger moms abandon babies for hours or days, but will eventually take back over. In the meantime, however, you would be forced to care for them. (I agree they are safer down below. Did you put the igloo back over the babies? If not, you should, as mothers need a dark , nesting place.) I will give you a great link with instructions should it come down to that. It is as follows:
http://www.afrma.org/rminfo8.htm pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Mothers do not spend every waking moment with their babies. It is why people often mistakenly believe the babies they find outdoors have been abandoned. How long has she been away from them? I would still give it more time to see if she returns, but if not, you will be forced to care for them. It is difficult, but doable. I wish you success, and hope they all thrive.
Just for the record, as long as Mom allows it, early socialization is encouraged, even when they are days old. Also, had you touched them, and I know you did not, it would not have mattered anyway. Rats are not known to kill/abandon their babies for having a human's scent on them, though other animals are known to do it. It is just advised to touch all of them. Please see the following links with more on that for reference, especially "The Birth Process" ; on the first one, and "Tips about Mom and Handling the Babies" in the second:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/repro.html pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
http://www.80stoysale.com/ratbreeding.ht ... http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSBreedingF ... http://ratgrowth.homestead.com/week1.htm ...
Unfortunately, a lot of rats and other rodents will not associate with their young after someone has touched them. If she can smell your scent on her young, she will most likely not go near them. Not all rats do this, but it sounds like yours is.
It's not safe to put the young back on top of her igloo, however, it's also not safe for them to be without their mother. So, my best bet is to attempt putting the young back on top of the igloo, but check on them often. If the mother is still avoiding them, then move them back down and look for alternatives to feeding the baby rats. However, if you do so, then you must separate the litter from their mother, because it's completely common that once a rat abandons their young, they tend to eat them, to dispose of them.
